A Fine Line: Techniques and Inspirations for Creating the Quilting Design

The first and only book completely devoted to designing the quilting stitch

A quilt becomes a quilt only when its layers--top, batting, and backing--are stitched together. Unfortunately, comprehensive instruction in this key area has been sadly lacking, leaving many unfinished heirlooms relegated to a dusty closet shelf. A Fine Line is the first full-length source for expert guidance on putting it all together with confidence and creativity. Step by step, both hand and machine quilters will learn how to find inspiration for designs, choosing a quilting design that is both achievable according to skill level and appropriate in style to the quilt top in question. They will learn to implement the principles of design as they apply to the quilting stitch, and execute the design--choose materials, mark the quilt top, and make the stitches. Special features include:

• "Let's Play Quilt" section shows multiple ways of quilting the same top to achieve different effects
• Stunning color photographs by an award-winning nature photographer provide inspiration
• Visual examples--quilts, stitched fabrics, and sketches-illustrate each step in the process
• Complete chapter on finishing features techniques routinely neglected elsewhere

A lifelong fascination with fabric and color led Melody Crust to a career in quilt making. An award-winning quilter, she has exhibited her quilts in major national shows. She has also juried and curated regional and national exhibitions. A seasoned teacher, she has led workshops on all aspects of quilt making for beginning and advanced quilters alike. Melody quilts as comfortably by hand as by machine, and her classes on creating the quilting design have encouraged hundreds of quilters to quilt their unfinished tops. Melody's quilts and writing have been featured in books as well as in several specialty magazines, including Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, Art/Quilt Magazine, Patchwork Quilts, and Fiber Arts International. Melody and her husband, photographer Charles Crust, live in Kent, Washington.

Creativity and mastery of technique have been the foundation for Heather Waldron Tewell's success as a quilt artist. Her quilts have been juried into such prestigious shows as Quilt National 2001 (Athens, Ohio) and VISIONS (San Diego, California) and have won national awards. Heather has taught workshops in hand quilting and appliqué throughout western Washington and in British Columbia and has developed a unique class to help students understand how to apply principles of art to their hand- or machine- quilting designs. Heather's articles on quilt-making topics have appeared in Art/Quilt Magazine, American Quilter, Quilter's Newsletter, Quilt World, and Lady's Circle Patchwork Quilts. Her quilts have been featured in several books. Heather lives with her family in Anacortes, Washington.